Cayo Coco.— Just like the “ice” rink created by New York artist Duke Riley featuring in the 12th Havana Biennial, the “crystal” tower by German Heinz Tretter is capturing the attention of those who read the headlines or travel to this island, where the famous structure, unique in Cuba and Latin America, stands tall.
Riley, an artist famed for playing with the absurd, as he himself has said; the second, a German master carpenter and graduate in business administration, who was inspired by the hexagonal structure of ice crystals to create a unique project, founding the KristallTurm firm in 2010.
Everyone now knows that the rink is not made of ice, just as the tower is not crystal. This is obvious upon arriving at the foot of the structure, assembled by the German companyCON-IMPEX, representative of KristallTurm in Cuba, the firm that creates these modern climbing circuits.
Perhaps for this reason, the structure in Cayo Coco is called the Rocarena Climbing Center, a more apt name for this medley of iron, wood, car wheels, platforms and ropes, which rises into the sky and offers up to 90 activities of varying degrees of difficulty, which could well join the list of extreme sports.
Peter Apel, general manager of CON-IMPEX, explained that the structure has three levels and eighteen 32 meter poles, with a capacity for 160 people, who can enjoy the various elements simultaneously.
The first level platform, at just one meter above ground and including 12 climbing elements, can be enjoyed by children between four and eight years of age; and at the third level, a platform serves as a scenic lookout.
Apel noted that KristallTurm has a team of experts who check each installation prior to use to ensure that the highest safety and quality standards are strictly adhered to, thus avoiding accidents, with no danger of falling from branches or trees, as can happen with natural rope climbing.
Thanks to the compact architectural design of the structure, it only requires an area of approximately 1,000 square meters, and, as there is no fixed course, each person can freely choose their climbing route without being obstructed by others or having to wait for long periods, meaning more fun for climbers.
Besides enjoying the ascent, those who dare to climb to the upper limit of the tower, can enjoy additional attractions such as the flying fox (a zip line to an intermediate platform and from there to the ground), giant swing, a freefall, the auto belay (climbing with a self-regulating automatic braking system) and children's play areas.
At the last International Tourism Fair (FITCuba 2015), held in Jardines del Rey, Cuban Tourism Minister Manuel Marrero praised the Rocarena climbing center, adding that it forms part of the development strategies in the Cuban leisure industry, aimed at offering new attractions and services for tourists.
The truth is that the tower, though not made of crystal, arouses interest from both domestic and foreign vacationers visiting Cayo Coco, an island that appears to lay itself at the feet of those who observe it from the highest platform, or the climbing poles, at over 30 meters high.
